Fans thinking Pat Quinn was just wagging his fleshy jaw when he talked about a clean slate as the Edmonton Oilers opened training camp might want to note that it looks like Sam Gagner will start the season on the fourth line against the Calgary Flames Saturday.

On a morning when Rob Schremp was claimed by the New York Islanders, Liam Reddox was put on waivers before assignment to Springfield of the AHL and Fernando Pisani and Marc Pouliot were placed on injured reserve, Gagner skated between Ethan Moreau and Zack Stortini.

And, no, contrary to what one wag playing fartcatcher suggested -- "It's not a message for Sam, it's a reward for Moreau and Stortini" -- it is obvious Quinn hasn't seen yet enough from Gagner to feel he belongs higher up in his line-up.

Show me something

Gagner's been a slow starter in his first two seasons, and that hasn't escaped Quinn's eye.

"I'm just going off training camp," Quinn said. "You certainly look at history and understand what’s gone on here. He did, from my understanding, historically have a real hot spot a couple of years ago.

"It’s three years now, the start of the third year. It's time to start moving that up. I haven't seen that part in camp, yet.

"Most people believe that it's there and it’s going to come. For the purposes of preparing for opening night, that's probably where he is going to start."

Gagner, 20, had a quiet and uneventful pre-season with 1-2-3 in four games, but his place in the line-up between Moreau and Stortini at Rexall Place this morning raised a few eyebrows.

Gagner, as expected, spun things as positively as possible in the dressing room as the horde leaned in, looking for the dope.

"I feel like I've got a lot more in me," Gagner said of his performance to this point. "It's one of those things. There's a lot of new things going on, a lot of new systems.

"I tend to be a thinker and I think I'm just over-thinking things right now. I'll settle in, get a little simpler. I'm going to find my game."

After breaking in as an 18-year-old in 2007-08 and struggling mightily at times last season, it goes without saying fans, like Oilers management, are expecting a bounce-back campaign from Gagner.

To this point, though, Sam I Am hasn't shown Quinn enough to warrant top-six minutes. That could change as early as a couple of shifts into the lid-lifter with the Flames, but that's up to Gagner.

"I don't want to read into it too much," Gagner said of skating at the bottom of the pecking order.

"We have some time off, some practice days, where we can really get the dialogue going. I've got to make sure I have the right habits and good practice time."

I'm of the mind the expectations of Gagner -- talk about "upside" and the suggestion by some Gagner should've already displaced Shawn Horcoff as the No. 1 centre -- have been overblown, considering he's had seasons of 49 and 41 points. Apparently, at least as of now, Quinn agrees.

"Part of our job is to bring all these guys to a higher level, including Sam or anybody else," Quinn said.

Pisani out long-term?

With Schremp gone, Reddox on waivers and Pisani and Pouliot on IR, Quinn is suddenly at the 23-man roster limit for Saturday's opener and need not make another move for now.

While that addresses the line-up, if not the salary cap, there is a concern Pisani's bad back could keep him out long term. He had an MRI Monday and the team's medical staff is awaiting results. If Pisani has structural damage, like a herniated disk, he could be on the shelf awhile.

"You can't predict when injuries take place," said GM Steve Tambellini. "It does provide an opportunity for other people, possibly, to get a longer look or a chance to play in positions that wouldn't happen if we had to be down to 14 forwards today.

"It presents opportunity to some players who, like I said, wouldn’t have the chance to go further."

One of those players is Robert Nilsson. Nilsson skated on the fifth line with Steve MacIntyre today.

Hemsky hobbled

Ales Hemsky took a quick twirl at the beginning of today's session but left the ice within minutes to rest and get treatment on the what team is saying is a pulled groin.

Rather than risk aggravating the problem and turning it into something that nags Hemsky in the long term, the Oilers are taking a cautious approach with an eye to having him ready for the Flames.

"We don't think it's severe," Quinn said.

"But, for those of us who've been around this business, groins are one of those things that can be severe. It needs treatment now. We want to make sure the pull doesn't become a tear."

Hemsky didn't knock anybody's socks off in pre-season, tallying three assists in four games. It's not known as of now at what point Hemsky injured himself.

-- Listen to Robin Brownlee every Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. on Just a Game with Jason Gregor on the Team 1260.

A sports writer since 1983, including stints at The Edmonton Journal and The Sun 1989-2007, I happily co-host the Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260 twice a week and write when so inclined. Have the best damn lawn on the internet. Most important, I am Sam's dad. Follow me on Twitter at Robin_Brownlee. Or don't.

David S wrote:
You know he was playing games before lots of the guys were twirling around Millenium Place, right?
Yes I did know that but obviously something is lacking from his preparation. Do you disagree?

Is it a coincidence that he played at the World Jrs before his first camp and shocked everyone by making the team

Dan the Man wrote:
Barnes had a great point on Gregor’s show a minute ago…
What if MacT had started Gagner on the 4th line between Stortini and Moreau?
I was thinking the same earlier.
Somewhere out there, MacT is having a big laugh.

MacT never would have put Gagner on the forth line, that was his biggest problem. He had his favorites and they could do no wrong in his eyes.

Gagner was horrible at the start of last year, giving up the puck at every turn, yet his ice time didn't diminish and he never left the second line. Meanwhile Penner has the most goals and the best +/- on the team and he was moved from the first to forth line and eventually the pressbox.

Quinn came in and said everybody has an equal chance and so far he is sticking to his word. (see Jacques on the first line).

Ogden Brother wrote:
Dan the Man wrote:
Barnes had a great point on Gregor’s show a minute ago…
What if MacT had started Gagner on the 4th line between Stortini and Moreau?
I was thinking the same earlier.
Somewhere out there, MacT is having a big laugh.
MacT never would have put Gagner on the forth line, that was his biggest problem. He had his favorites and they could do no wrong in his eyes.
Gagner was horrible at the start of last year, giving up the puck at every turn, yet his ice time didn’t diminish and he never left the second line. Meanwhile Penner has the most goals and the best +/- on the team and he was moved from the first to forth line and eventually the pressbox.
Quinn came in and said everybody has an equal chance and so far he is sticking to his word. (see Jacques on the first line).

He was also injured. I think people are forgetting that, and how much it probably impacted his play during those first couple months. Once Sam took time off to rest his ankle, he improved a lot. Does noone noticed this, or are our memories short?

Besides, it was Penner's work ethic that got him the boot to the press box as it was with Nilsson. As much as Gagner wasn't the greatest at the start of last season, the kid still tried more than the other goats.

Thanks for bringing this up. Sam had an ankle that was very slow to heal, as he told it late last year. Sounded like it was alot worse than the team let on too. Eventually, he had to take some time off I believe.

BTW - Sam wouldn't have been on the fourth line last year because it was a hardcore banging line. You don't put a 19 year-old prodigy in front of trains every night. Either the kid will get squashed like a bug or the whole line suffers because one guy isn't effective. Sam isn't an energy guy and Zack isn't a 20 goal scorer.

@ scorecoff hemmercules:
Nashville and the Oilers may have exchanged calls, but that's far from meaning something is on the table. Poile is difficult to deal with.
What is the source of St. Louis whispers? Blogger? Fan board? haven't seen an MSM source on the Blues.

Thanks for bringing this up. Sam had an ankle that was very slow to heal, as he told it late last year. Sounded like it was alot worse than the team let on too. Eventually, he had to take some time off I believe.
BTW – Sam wouldn’t have been on the fourth line last year because it was a hardcore banging line. You don’t put a 19 year-old prodigy in front of trains every night. Either the kid will get squashed like a bug or the whole line suffers because one guy isn’t effective. Sam isn’t an energy guy and Zack isn’t a 20 goal scorer.

I think you're very right in that his ankle was a hidden injury. I'm sure they didn't tell people right away because they had wanted it to improve faster than it did. You also have losers who will take liberties with players they know are nursing injuries, so that probably had something to do with keeping it on the DL as well.

At the end of the day, I think this is sort of a waste of the kid's talents. I can't see where sticking him with two dudes who lack in offense will help him at all. Gags needs space for his game, this much is true, but being stuck with Moreau who thinks he can stick handle like Hemmer isn't the way to get that space. That guy stiffled Cogs for almost an entire season, and he's going to do the same with Sam. It's not like Storts is gonna receieve the sick passes either.

This lineup gives me a headache. I'm sure it won't stick, but it's annoying right now none the less. I'm all for clean slates but some of those guys who are higher up on the depth chart didn't show me any more effort or skill to earn that.

If he is going off of training camp, how does Horcoff have a top line spot? He looked lost in the last preseason game and has one more point than Sam in preseason. Who has the better chops to be in a checking role, Gagner or Horcoff? Who has more offensive upside, Gagner or Horcoff? Seems like they have these two players mixed up. I guarantee Horcoff and Gagner will be trading spots on the depth chart by the 20 game mark.

Joey Moss wrote:
I guarantee Horcoff and Gagner will be trading spots on the depth chart by the 20 game mark.
You aren’t suggesting that Horcoff’s on the fourth line by game twenty, are you? Because that would be sort of crazy.

Gagner and Brule will swap places before the season is three games old.
27-89-13
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Quinn can get away with lot because he's new and he's still regarded as a sane, experienced, competent outsider by the fanbase.

MacTavish could get away with absolutely nothing because half the fanbase had decided that whatever he did was wrong before he even did it.

It's not fair, but it isn't surprising either.

Quinn and MacTavish aren't the same - and track record suggests Quinn's a better coach - but MacTavish was incredibly underappreciated towards the end of his tenure here. The fact that Quinn's come into training camp and complained about the same things (he says 'crust' instead of jam, but otherwise...) just proves it.

None of this is to say that the Oilers didn't make a positive change when they hired Quinn, but the teams chief problems are with the players on the roster and they haven't been addressed yet.

Quinn can get away with lot because he’s new and he’s still regarded as a sane, experienced, competent outsider by the fanbase.
MacTavish could get away with absolutely nothing because half the fanbase had decided that whatever he did was wrong before he even did it.
It’s not fair, but it isn’t surprising either.
Quinn and MacTavish aren’t the same – and track record suggests Quinn’s a better coach – but MacTavish was incredibly underappreciated towards the end of his tenure here. The fact that Quinn’s come into training camp and complained about the same things (he says ‘crust’ instead of jam, but otherwise…) just proves it.
None of this is to say that the Oilers didn’t make a positive change when they hired Quinn, but the teams chief problems are with the players on the roster and they haven’t been addressed yet.

At least "crust" makes more sense than "jam". As far as the sandwich metaphor goes, I'm thinking the Hemskys are the jam and the Stortinis are the crust. The problem is that we still don't have no peanut butter!

Props to Chris for calling some combo of Gagner/Cogs/Hemsky to feel the wrath of Quinn’s accountability while almost everyone else figured it would be Horcoff/Moreau/Staios etc etc taken the verbal/line-up beatings.

There's no need to oscillate between extremes. Moreau's a defensive forward with limited offensive skills, but he isn't without scoring ability altogether. In his draft year, for example, Moreau scored goals at a pace very comparable to, say, Gilbert Brule.

He's a bottom six forward with some edge who scores goals because of will and brute determination. He's of the most use to this team as a penalty-killer and checking-line winger.